God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 55: Episode 11 _ A Single Player Receives A Single Portion (4)

Chapter 55: Episode 11 _ A Single Player Receives A Single Portion (4)

4.

Managing a single hunting ground was no easy feat. It required not only high-level players but also a substantial number of guild members to back them up. And that wasn’t all. A guild needed deep pockets to be ready for a fight at any moment.

In that sense, the Shield Guild was a respectable organization. They controlled user access at set times, had made a name for themselves, and only recruited players who were prepared to log in and go to war at a moment’s notice. Naturally, they were well-supported, and their members’ average level was high.

Their gear was top-notch, of course. In an age where any serious gamer had dropped at least a few hundred dollars on Fantastic World, what else could you expect? They were no match for the Specialists, but they weren’t a group to be trifled with.

Which was why the Specialists had to be clever.

"Bind. Weaken," Yeseul chanted.

One of them was stabbed.

"Aargh! Over here! She’s here!" a player shrieked.

Even the Specialists couldn’t take on over a hundred players at once. Perhaps they could in the distant future, when levels were higher, and the gear gap from main quests became insurmountable. But for now, the only advantages they had over other players were their enhanced items and slightly higher levels—a difference of maybe ten to thirty stat points.

Add their superior control to the mix, and that was it. But when you’re swarmed from all sides, control means nothing. Their only option was to use hit-and-run tactics.

"You cowards! Stop running around and fight!" one of them yelled.

"If you insist," Seolah replied coolly.

"No! Wait just a sec—"

Thwack.

Hyeonsu swung his giant shield while Seolah darted out from behind him, stabbing at openings. Yeseul’s added curses were a catastrophe for players who could barely afford to raise their defense, let alone their magic resistance.

"How many did we kill?" Yeseul asked cheerfully.

"About twenty?" Hyeonsu estimated.

"More than I thought," Seolah commented.

It wasn’t difficult. In any game, once you hit the level cap, PvP content becomes the main focus, and they were all masters of it. While an online game couldn’t compare to virtual reality, their innate skill combined with perfect coordination more than made up for the difference in numbers.

Luck was on their side, too. It was still early in the game’s life, no one had ever challenged the Shield Guild’s monopoly with force, and their members were spread across the globe, meaning they couldn’t all rally at once. The glaring weaknesses of a large guild were on full display.

"Unni, what’s the plan? If we kill a few more, this should be about over," Yeseul prompted, beaming for the first time in a while.

"Hmm..."

The real reason she, a player obsessed with cosmetics, would bother to hunt and pull all-nighters with nothing more than a grumble was PvP. She was even more interested in it than Seolah, to the point where she would even put her mind to studying skills.

"We kill them all. Same as always," Seolah said, living up to Yeseul’s expectations.

Unlike Yeseul, Seolah didn’t engage in PvP for fun. In a game, getting your character killed still made you angry, and that anger toward your opponent could lead to a heated confrontation. It deviated from her preferred method of efficient growth and exploitation.

However, she never backed down from a fight that was brought to her. Surrender after a war has started? Not an option. She preferred peace, but once hostilities began, she fought more fiercely than anyone. Hyeonsu simply followed his sister’s lead.

"Looks like their officers are starting to log in," Hyeonsu noted.

"Let’s be more careful," Seolah advised.

"Okay," Yeseul agreed.

Even with the upper hand, they didn’t let their guard down. The game’s realism added an extra layer to PvP, but it also meant the enemy could have countless tricks up their sleeves. Besides, this was their first war against this guild.

If a monster with a legendary job like Simin showed up, their guerrilla tactics would be useless; they could all be wiped out by a single person. Fortunately, even after their kill count passed fifty, then seventy, and the hunting ground was completely empty, no such player appeared.

"Phew," Hyeonsu sighed.

"That was a good workout." A satisfied smile graced Yeseul’s lips.

In Fantastic World, even PKing gave experience points. While not as efficient as hunting, they’d gained a decent amount, and looting the items dropped by the Shield Guild members was quite profitable.

"Simin Oppa would be grinning from ear to ear if he were here," Yeseul said.

"He should be here soon," Hyeonsu added.

"He said he just had one last thing to do in the Empire," Seolah explained.

After a short break, they resumed hunting. In the now-empty grounds, they chatted to pass the time. They could worry about the Shield Guild’s retaliation in forty-eight hours when their login bans lifted.

The immediate problem was closing the gap in the level rankings. To think they had to entrust that to one person, Han Simin. They couldn’t help but sigh, but what could they do? They had seen the options on the Ring of Blessing.

There was no faster level booster. How had he obtained such an item so early? Simin himself lamented his "cursed character," but to them, he was an object of envy. If they had something like that on their finger, they would hunt for days straight.

"Tch. Still, we’re better at PvP than him, right?" Yeseul blurted out, her envy showing.

It wasn’t exactly wrong, so Hyeonsu nodded in agreement. Only Seolah’s expression was dark.

‘Could we really win?’ she wondered.

If they fought at the same level with the same items, she was confident that Yeseul or Hyeonsu could win without her even needing to step in. Simin’s control wasn’t bad, but it was only slightly above average. That was all. But that was just a hypothetical born of envy. Level aside, Simin would never fight them without his arsenal of planet-destroying items. And if that was the case?

"...It’d be tough," Seolah said aloud.

Even with the three of them ganging up on him, it would be a struggle. They couldn’t even pierce his armor, let alone his skin, no matter how many times they stabbed at his vitals.

How could they possibly win? Unless Yeseul’s curse could reduce his defense to the point where steel became paper, but that was asking too much from a level 31 player.

Naturally, Yeseul’s expression fell. She knew it, too.

"It’s okay, though. It’s still early! If we level up and get our items enhanced by Simin Oppa, someday we’ll be able to beat him with pure skill!" she declared, rallying her spirits.

It was a picture of envy for something money couldn’t buy, a scene Simin would have laughed at and teased them for.

Suddenly, a system message appeared.

[Player ’Simin’ has succeeded in enhancing ’+14 Master Key’!]

[Player ’Simin’ has succeeded in enhancing ’+15 Master Key’!]

Was this his way of rubbing it in via hologram? The subsequent announcements made Yeseul’s face scrunch up in a frown.

"What the hell? Is he messing with us? Now he’s enhancing a key to +15?"

Seolah and Hyeonsu were just as speechless. Who could have possibly guessed that a master key was a Legendary-grade item?

Silence fell. Then, they began to hunt again. A silent, mutual understanding passed between them: they had to get stronger.

5.

Han Simin hated wasting things on useless endeavors. Even with ninety enhancement stones, including those he’d stolen from the Imperial Palace, his frugal nature hadn’t changed. The fact that he hadn’t enhanced his Aura Control Device even once was proof of that. But in his fury, Simin didn’t hesitate to use fifteen stones on the master key.

‘This has to give me something,’ he thought, a plan already forming in his mind.

He didn’t need any other options. Just an increase in the number of uses. No special options, no aura—none of that mattered. All he wanted was for the basic option to increase through enhancement.

Fortunately, the tomb was teeming with prime locations for enhancement, far more than he’d found in the desert ruins.

It was likely because this was a high-level dungeon, the resting place of that damn legendary enhancement master.

And so, he got a good result. As he brought the hammer down, driven by the will to screw them over, a look of satisfaction spread across his face.

[+15 Master Key]

* Grade: Legendary

* Option 1: A 1(+10) use key for opening master chests.

* Option 2: Uses are not consumed when opening locks of anything else below master chests.

As long as it could open the five chests in front of him, he didn’t care about anything else.

Satisfied, Simin picked up the key and scanned the chests as if they were fresh ingredients.

‘You bastards. You thought you could screw me over as a group? Let me teach you a lesson.’

"Hehehe."

A smile came to him naturally. What would the five legends think if they could see this from their graves? They’d built a maze full of traps, only for an intruder to use a cheat code to break through the walls and find the exit.

‘They should have been here to see this.’

Pleased, he grabbed a random chest. For a moment, he considered enhancing the chest itself before opening it, but he quickly shook his head. A chest wasn’t worth enhancing. It wouldn’t change the item inside. Better to use the enhancement stones on the contents.

He inserted the key into the first chest. If Simin hadn’t been an enhancement master, if he didn’t have his ability, his heart would be pounding at the thought of entrusting his single chance to luck.

"Well, something will come out," he said nonchalantly.

For him, who planned to open all five, excessive tension was pointless.

He turned the key in the lock.

[1 use of the Master Key has been consumed.]

The chest opened without any special effects.

He peered inside, curious. Inside were a single sheet of parchment and a book. He unfolded the parchment, which was clearly a letter.

[To the lucky one.

If you are reading this, you must be someone from the future connected to the five of us. You passed the trial and, through a stroke of luck, chose my chest from the five. Congratulations. To have chosen the treasure of the strongest among us five idlers, you must be destined to make a name for yourself on the continent. Hahaha.

The treasure I have prepared is a precious thing that will make your name resound across the land. The other four fools were speechless when they saw it. You’ll probably be shocked, too. Hahaha. You’ll find out what the gift is when you open the book. I don’t know whose disciple you are, but once you receive my gift, you will feel in your bones that your master is nothing compared to me, and a sense of respect will well up inside you. Then, go forth and show the continent my greatness!]

"What a load of bullshit."

He immediately tore the parchment to shreds. He’d get more nutrients from eating dirt. It was nothing but self-praise from beginning to end, and the writer didn’t even reveal who they were. It was a waste of time to even read it.

He spat on the tattered pieces and picked up the book. It would have been better if they’d just told him to read this from the start. He felt like throwing the pretentious-looking book away, too, but the monster of capitalism born in his heart wouldn’t allow it.

‘I’ll just open it.’

‘If this sucks, you’re dead,’ he threatened inwardly. ‘I’ll find where you’re buried and dig up your grave.’

He picked up the book. It looked like an ordinary hardcover, moderately thick and exuding an ancient feel.

‘A magic tome?’

Could it be from the Legendary Mage? A book containing all the spells from the first to the ninth circle?

He held his breath.

His calm pulse began to race. A Legendary-grade mage. Simin had no interest in it, but the rich players of the world certainly would. Counting his chickens before they hatched, he opened the book, and in that moment, holograms popped up.

[You have changed your job to ’Ultimate Legendary Tamer’!]

[Legendary Job Penalty (Required EXP +200%) has been applied.]

[Reward (Bonus Stat Points: 10) has been acquired.]

[’Taming (SS)’ has been acquired.]

[You have selected a Sub-Job.]

[Sub-Job Penalty (Required EXP +50%) has been applied.]

"...The fuck?"

For a long while, the vast cavern had to endure Han Simin’s curses.

* * *